Eight more All-Stars bow out of game

PHOENIX  Baseball could field an All-Star team just from the players who will be missing from Tuesday’s game.

Philadelphia third baseman Placido Polanco and Tampa Bay pitcher David Price became the latest stars to withdraw, and six starting pitchers were declared ineligible because they played Sunday. Sixteen All-Stars won’t appear in the game, including 13 of the 68 originally chosen.

The Los Angeles Angels’ Jered Weaver will pitch. He said he’s been told he’ll start for the AL.

“It’s very exciting,” Weaver said. “Never in my life would I think that I’d even be in an All-Star game, let alone starting.”

Polanco missed the Phillies’ final six games heading into the All-Star break because of a bad back. Major League Baseball cited turf toe as the reason for Price’s withdrawal.

The missing include the Yankees’ trio of Derek Jeter, Alex Rodriguez and Mariano Rivera. Rodriguez will have right knee surgery Monday and be sidelined four to six weeks.

The Yankees’ CC Sabathia, the Rays’ James Shields, the Detroit Tigers’ Justin Verlander, the Seattle Mariners’ Felix Hernandez, the Philadelphia Phillies’ Cole Hamels and the San Francisco Giants’ Matt Cain all were knocked out because of their starts. Sabathia had been bypassed when rosters were announced a week ago, but replaced Shields when the Tampa Bay pitcher appeared Sunday.